Will this look bad: Transcript

<p>If I apply ED to Cornell, will some of my test scores reflect badly on me? [Some of these I have not taken yet, but I'm projecting after some studying.]</p>

<p>ACT [Will take in June, projection]: 34
SAT: 2000 <a href="Don't%20know%20how%20this%20happened.%20I%20did%20really%20well%20on%20practice%20tests,%202250+.%20Guess,%20it%20is%20just%20not%20my%20thing.%20I%20went%20from%20my%20diagnostic,%20up,%20and%20back%20down%20to%20it.">700W, 720M, 580CR</a>
SAT II Bio (first time): 630 [Did not study.]
SAT II Math L1 (first time): 680 [Too cocky to study.]
SAT II Chem (May, projection): 750+
SAT II Bio (2nd time, June projection): 750+
SAT II Math L2/C (June, Projection): 740+</p>

<p>Do you guys think my bad scores on SAT and some of my SAT IIs will reflect badly on the rest of my CB transcript and my ACT scores? [BTW, I don't plan on explaining any of this in my essays because that'll make me seem like a perfectionist and a very uptight person. And I've been thoroughly warned not to do anything like that.]</p>

<p>Thanks
tux</p>

<p>I am not a fan of placing weight on SAT scores, but I have to admit that a 580 on your critical reading is not good.</p>

<p>I guess your major should be considered as well, but a 580 is just too low.</p>

<p>Your SAT subject test scores (even projections) are better than my actual scores and projections.</p>

<p>If you're that concerned about SATs, just make sure that your ECs and essays are great.</p>

<p>If your writing score is that high, it's very possible that your CR was a "fluke" (in other words, you might have spaced out on CR, even if you feel like you were concentrating). That's what happened to me: on my first SATs I got a 780 W and a 610 CR. Heh. I took it again, without studying, but I made sure I was calm and very focused, and bumped up my CR 140 (!!) points (my math went down 80, but Cornell will take your best score in each category, so the good news is that it didn't matter). The same can happen to you. Just learn to focus! You've already got a great writing and math score. Now that you've got those in place, focus on CR.</p>

<p>Will you have an opportunity to re-take the SAT?</p>

<p>My PSAT score was a 220 (78/64/78,) but I dropped 210 points when I took the real thing (I scored a 1990.) After I adjusted my essay strategy and took some time to study the math section, I re-took the test and scored a 2130 (710CR/620M/800W) -- admittedly still not as good as my PSAT score, but still pretty respectable. </p>

<p>Point is, re-taking the test helped me immensely, and I'm sure if I had taken it one more time before applying I would have been able to score above a 750 on the CR section (a good math score, unfortunately, was never in the cards.)</p>

<p>If taking the test again is an option for you, I'd strongly encourage it.</p>

<p>I could take the test in October, but I don't see any point in doing so if my ACT score is really good. Couldn't I rely on that or in this case would both factor in.</p>

<p>You can choose whether to submit the ACT or SAT (or both,) so if you're that confident about the ACT, I'd just focus on that from now on.</p>

<p>However, juxtaposn, don't I have to submit SAT II scores? The Cornell website says they require 2 SAT IIs for the different colleges.</p>

<p>Your projected scores are fine, so if you meet them, what is the problem?</p>

<p>I was suggesting that you substitute your ACT score for your SAT score, not both your SAT and SAT IIs.</p>

<p>Oh, then I misunderstood. However, in that case, would my SAT scores downplay my ACT scores, or would the adcoms just not even consider it. (Since I need to report 2 SAT II scores for Engineering, CB will send out scores for all SAT/IIS I've taken ever.)</p>

<p>well they say that they dont look at it right...but i mean how can they help but look at the screen and just ignore it...idn i just think you should strive to do as well as you can on it</p>

<p>When you file the common app, use your highest ACT score along with your highest SAT II scores. Don't bother to include the SAT.</p>

<p>I did the opposite -- reported my SAT / SAT IIs but didn't report my ACT score (I did ****ty on it; I got a 29.) Even though my ACT score was in my file (since collegeboard had reported my scores to Cornell as soon as I took the test,) I don't think they're allowed to make decisions based on that data.</p>

<p>Submit both your ACT and SAT IIs through collegeboard (and, necessarily, your SAT score,) but don't report your SAT score on your actual application.</p>

<p>Make sense?</p>

<p>Ahh, thanks for clearing this up. So, this applies to all colleges, then right? I plan on using the Common App for all my applications. Thank you so much for clearing this up, I am so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and it's one less thing on my mind.</p>